David Brega, "Thomas Jefferson Trompe L'Oeil" oil on board, 2004. Signed and dated lower right, "David Brega '04". Board: 43.25"H x 33.75"W; Frame: 51.25"H x 42.375"W. PROVENANCE: Hammer Galleries, New York (label verso). From the Collection of Sam Wyly, Dallas, Texas (acquired from the above in 2004). NOTE: This painting was a special commission by Mr. Wyly and incorporates several key elements of what Jefferson considered to be his milestone historical achievements. The portrait itself is a reproduction of Rembrandt Peale's famous portrait of Jefferson, painted in 1805 and now in the collection of the New York Historical Society. Visible at left behind the painting is a page from Jefferson's "An Act for establishing Religious Freedom," written into law in 1786. At the bottom right, we see a handwritten draft of the Declaration of Independence, with plans for the Rotunda at the University of Virginia just above. Also positioned behind the founding father's likeness we see portions of two letters both from and to the patron's forebears. David Brega (American, b. 1948) is one of the foremost contemporary American practitioners of the trompe l'oeil painting style.